Ordinary diners who take part in our annual survey each spring review restaurants and leave their feedback, but we also ask them to score restaurants from 1-5 on food, service and ambience. Harden’s then uses an average of these scores and measures them against other establishments in the same price bracket to arrive at the ratings published in the guide and online.

Snippets from some of your feedback may end up in the overall Harden’s review, noticeably they appear in “double quotation marks”. The rest of our pithy, bite-sized restaurant summaries are compiled by analysing the survey data and extracting recurring themes, looking at whether or not a venue was nominated in any of our categories – like ‘favourite’ or ‘most overpriced’ – and, of course, looking at the ratings for food, service and ambience.

The Harden’s ratings indicate that a restaurant is:

exceptional very good good average poor

All reviews are compiled from survey comments and ratings, without any regard for our own personal opinions, except in cases where restaurants are too new to have been included in the survey. If you want the editors’ view on new restaurants in London you can find them in our Editors’ Review section.

Summary

“Great folk behind the bar and evident genius in the kitchen” makes it worth a fair-old schlep to this “perfect pub run with love” – a “charming” old inn (“log fires in winter”) in a “picturesque village” in the Forest of Bowland. “Chef Stosie Madi continues to provide some of the most heartfelt, most locally-centred, most seasonal food in Lancashire. Pies are a real highlight with unimprovable pastry and delicious fillings, but the real treat comes when she draws on her heritage to use the local produce in Middle Eastern inspired dishes. The vegetarian and vegan food here can be so attractive that it’s worth foregoing the meat (though maybe not in game season…) – what she can do with a cauliflower, cabbage or wild garlic is remarkable! Service is led by Madi’s business partner, Kathy Smith and her brother AJ” and “there’s always a personal and friendly welcome” (“the best advice is just to go with the flow and enjoy the way they do things”). “I’m glad I don’t live any nearer or I’d be skint!”

Price*£49

Food5Exceptional

ServiceExceptional

AmbienceVery Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Summary

“It looks like a typical local inn, set in a pretty village in the Forest of Bowland”, but Stosie Madi’s cooking “is on another level” – “it’s simply the best food ever” – at this “just amazing” destination, which is “worth travelling over the Pennines for”. “Exceptional ingredients are cooked with skill and flair” from “a constantly-changing, hyper-locally-sourced menu” and Kathy Smith oversees “the friendliest, efficient service”. “While the real gems come in the dishes with Middle Eastern inspiration” (reflecting the chef’s heritage), it would be wise not to ignore the pub classics, especially pies. Top Menu Tip – “the wild garlic custard tart was probably the best thing I have ever eaten!”

Price*£44

FoodExceptional

ServiceExceptional

AmbienceVery Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Summary

“In a beautiful village in the deepest wilds of Bowland”, this “idiosyncratic” and “joyous” destination – “a proper, big, slightly ramshackle country pub” – serves “exciting” fare that’s “truly exceptional” and “well worth a (long) detour”. “Stosie’s classical cooking is influenced by cuisines from all over the world, with a real focus on local ingredients (wild produce, game, etc)” to create “something not too fancy and full of terroir”. “Hospitality like hers, AJ’s and Kathy’s is a rare thing”, and though service “can come under pressure when it’s busy” the overall effect is “engagingly wonderful”. And “my god, they feed you!” – “you’ll have to undo all trouser buttons and not eat for another 24 hours afterwards!”. Top Menu Tips – “the best game pie ever” and “anything that sounds Middle Eastern”.

Price*£43

FoodExceptional

ServiceVery Good

AmbienceVery Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Summary

“The awards keep coming” for Kathy Smith & Stosie Madie’s “totally authentic and unaffected” pub, which benefits from a “beautiful” country location; it offers “absolutely top-notch” cooking – “a lot of places may pay lip service to local sourcing, but it really means something here”.

Price*£43

FoodExceptional

ServiceVery Good

AmbienceVery Good

* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

Have you eaten at The Parkers Arms?

Restaurant details

Childrens FacilitiesHighchair, Menu, Portions

Outside TablesYes

Private Rooms50

Last OrdersMon & Tue closed, Wed - Fri 8.30 pm, Sat 9 pm, Sun

Covers80

The Parkers Arms Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of The Parkers Arms Restaurant in BB7, Newton-in-Bowland by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of The Parkers Arms restaurant.

Hannah B

This place is special. The kind of special ...

Reviewed 3 months, 27 days ago

"This place is special. The kind of special where, if you haven’t been in a while, you start to miss it. If the food was average, I would probably go just for the wonderful welcome and inspiring setting. However, as it happens, Stosie cooks the kind of food that has you thinking about it days after you have eaten it. One visit is all it takes for you to become part of the Parkers family, and your only regret will be that it took you so long to try it."

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Simon J

Stosie and AJ have a perfect gem. Awesome f...

Reviewed 4 months, 1 day ago

"Stosie and AJ have a perfect gem. Awesome food, fabulous service and stunning views. Our favourite place in the world."

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